February 5, 2021

Hello,

I am Casandra Matej, Visit Orlando's new president & CEO. 

I've long known Orlando as a special destination, but in this, my first week, I'm even further energized as I meet the talented people who live and work here in our industry. I'm honored to serve America's greatest destination alongside so many dedicated and creative business and community leaders. 

As I partner with you throughout this journey, my immediate goals are to listen to your needs and input, engage with our local community and provide proactive leadership in our destination's ongoing recovery that produces strategic results. We will work together to spur recovery of our industry for the benefit of our region, our community and our residents. 

I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible, and hope the video above will serve as a brief first introduction for us.  As I immerse myself in Orlando and learn about all that we offer visitors, I'd love your input – please drop me a line at CEO@VisitOrlando.com with what you think I should see. 

Thank you for welcoming me with your special brand of Orlando hospitality. I can't wait to take the next step on our wonderful journey – together. 

In your service,

Casandra Matej | President & CEO 
Visit Orlando 

Black History Month – Encouraging Visitors to Learn and Explore

As a community, we must be intentional in ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion are part of all we do, every day. From a business perspective, it's critical for executive leaders to commit to change, and you will hear much more from us in the coming months about Visit Orlando's own organizational commitment and vision.

From a travel perspective, Orlando has a rich legacy of Black influence and culture, and Visit Orlando helps educate visitors on how they can explore the local people, places and events that have helped shape our history. As the nation collectively recognizes and celebrates Black History Month, we continue these education efforts with an even greater emphasis throughout our many visitor communications platforms.

You can learn more about Orlando's Black history on our website, and by following our social media channels as we spotlight local landmarks and areas of cultural significance throughout the month. 

Content On-Demand: Virtual FAM for Meeting Planners

If you missed last week's virtual FAM, all content from the three-day event is now available here. With 750 meeting and convention planners in attendance, this was a highly successful collaboration between Visit Orlando and several member companies. Check out the link to get caught up on what's new across our destination, updates from hotel partners, on-demand content from off-site venues and theme parks, and more.